The cult of the McRib: Celebrating mystery meat

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten sandwich, that whosoever believeth in it shall not starve, but have everlasting fullness.”

This is how JaShong King, a photo editor from Toronto, describes his beloved McRib, paraphrasing the Gospel of John.

He is not alone.

The Wall Street Journal today delves into the shrouded cult of McRibophiles, documenting the great lengths they’ll go to obtain one of the elusive sandwiches, which are sporadically and unreliably available at McDonalds franchises.

But even these guys aren’t really sure what in the hell’s in a McRib (hint: it ain’t ribs):

“It’s a conglomeration of pork waste, as far as I can tell,” says Kate Sedgwick, 34, a travel blogger who lives in Buenos Aires, Argentina. (read the full story)

But the legend of the McRib lives on, spawning a popular “Ribwich” episode of The Simpsons, and dozens of other pop-culture references.

Capitalizing on the underground McRib movement, McDonald’s is announcing a full-scale return of the McRib next month…but not for long, the campaign is slated for only six weeks.